The present invention relates to reclosable packaging such as plastic pouches or trays and, in particular, to a reclosable package (and method of making the package) with a zipper having a slider which is constructed to prevent the slider from interfering with the filling or emptying of product from the package cavity.
Reclosable packaging has gained wide acceptance both for storage purposes and as primary packaging for foodstuffs and other commodities. The reclosable closures for such packaging consists of a pair of profiles having mating interlocking elements. It is becoming increasingly popular to provide a slider on the zipper to both facilitate opening and closing the zipper and to provide a visual indication of the condition of the zipper. While adding the slider to the zipper provides advantages to the package, the slider may reduce the effective length of the package mouth by protruding into the package opening. There is also the possibility of the slider inadvertently being displaced from the zipper by a user filling or emptying the package since, even when the slider is in the fully open position, the slider tends to block a portion of the mouth of the product cavity.
The above problems of the prior art are effectively resolved in accordance with the present invention by providing an improved package that is designed so that when the slider is in the zipper fully open position, it is parked in an area to the side of the product cavity.
The package has a front wall, a rear wall, bottom, top, and first and second sides. A zipper extends across the package top between the first side and the second side. A slider is disposed for movement along the zipper between a zipper fully open position when the slider is at the first side of the package, and a zipper fully closed position when the slider is at the second side of the package. A side seal is provided at the package first side joining the front wall to the rear wall and extending between the package bottom and the zipper. The side seal further extends toward the second side of the package for a distance at least as long as the length of the slider. In this manner, when the slider is in the zipper fully open position it parks above the side seal and out of the mouth of the package leading to the package product cavity. Additionally, the side seal may curve away from the zipper to an interior edge of the side seal. By extending the side seal away from the zipper in this manner, the area between the slider and the side seal is reduced without interfering with the movement of the slider. The tapered side seal and the reduced area between the slider and the side seal reduces the possibility that the product might be stuck in the area or caught by the side seal when being inserted or removed from the package.